Family says Aaron Bailey shot 4 times in back by Indianapolis police officers

DONT SLEEP and the family of Aaron Bailey, an unarmed man who was shot and killed by IMPD officers hold a joint press conference near shooting scene on Thursday, August 10, 2017. Michelle Pemberton

Buy Photo

Erica Bailey, the daughter of Aaron Bailey who was shot and killed by IMPD officers is comforted during a press conference by Founder and President of Don't Sleep, Dominic Dorsey near the site of Bailey's shooting, Thursday, August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.(Photo: Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar)Buy Photo

The family of Aaron Bailey said Thursday that an autopsy report shows the unarmed motorist killed by two Indianapolis police officers was shot in the back four times.

Bailey, 45, was unarmed when he was shot and killed by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers following a short pursuit that ended in a crash near 23rd and Aqueduct streets on the city's north side in the early morning hours of June 29.

During a Thursday news conference, Bailey's sister, Kimberly Brown, and his daughter, Erica Bailey, joined Dominic Dorsey and Satchuel Cole of social justice advocacy organization DONT SLEEP to discuss some of the details of Bailey's autopsy report.

The family said they believe nearly a dozen bullets struck the car. They highlighted the autopsy report, describing four gunshot wounds in Bailey's back. Autopsy reports are not public record in Indiana.

Sitting near the site of the crash, Brown cried.

"I know I have to be strong, but it’s hard sitting here because I know that’s where my brother’s life ended," Brown said. "And it’s not fair."

Cole, vice president of DONT SLEEP, said 42 days is far too long to go without hearing a statement from the officers.

IMPD and the Marion County prosecutor's office are conducting parallel investigations of the incident. The officers involved, Michal P. Dinnsen and Carlton J. Howard, have been placed on administrative leave pending the results of those investigations.

In the weeks following the shooting, IMPD Chief Bryan Roach and Mayor Joe Hogsett have maintained the city would be as transparent as possible during the investigation. IMPD also has asked the FBI to conduct a separate investigation of the incident. The agency has since opened a civil rights investigation.

The officers' contact with Aaron Bailey began during a traffic stop about 1:45 a.m. June 29 near Burdsal Parkway and East Riverside Drive, according to police. This is how authorities described the incident:

About 10 minutes after the officers stopped Bailey's car, Bailey and his passenger, 26-year-old Shiwanda Ward, suddenly took off. A police chase ensued, but after about a minute, Bailey crashed his sedan into a fence near the intersection of 23rd and Aqueduct streets.

Both officers approached the car, and both officers subsequently fired their weapons. Bailey was pronounced dead at Eskenazi Hospital 30 minutes later. Ward was uninjured.

A warrant recently had been issued for Bailey's arrest after he violated the terms of his release on a pending theft case filed in early February.

It remains unclear why Bailey was pulled over, why he drove away from officers and what he and the officers said to one another during their contact. What prompted the shooting remains unclear.

IndyStar sent IMPD a list of 13 questions Thursday night on matters such as the number of times Bailey was hit, how many shots each officer fired and where the officers were in relation to the car. A department spokesman said those details remain part of the ongoing investigation. The department then issued a statement:

“Aaron Bailey’s death continues to be a tragic incident for our community and our department. IMPD is committed to being as transparent as the law allows, and upon completion of the ongoing criminal investigation by the Marion County prosecutor’s office, we are prepared to move expeditiously with our own internal review."

Dorsey again called for the officers' termination, for charges to be brought without a grand jury and for a special prosecutor.

Because the facts in police-involved shootings are often disputed, Prosecutor Terry Curry uses citizen grand juries to make charging decisions in those cases.

In Indianapolis, no police officer in recent years has been charged with a crime in connection with an officer-involved shooting. It can take months before a grand jury hears the evidence to determine whether probable cause exists to move forward with a trial.

The prosecutor's office issued a statement Friday saying they had received the coroner's report and the investigation was moving forward:

"Our office has received IMPD’s investigation and just this week received the Coroner’s report on the death of Mr. Aaron Bailey. In addition, Prosecutor Curry has directed investigators assigned to our office to follow up on information which may be pertinent to the investigation. This matter remains a priority for our office. More information will be provided on the anticipated next steps in the process as the investigative phase concludes."

Messages left with the president of the Fraternal Order of Police were not immediately returned Thursday evening.

Dorsey, president of DONT SLEEP, said photos of the car show shattered back windows and bullet holes in the car's trunk.

“Once you see this footage, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that they abused their power and they saw fit to kill a man, to shoot him, to murder him," Dorsey said. "While his back was turned. I can’t think of a much more cowardly act."

Cole noted how quickly charges were brought against Jason Brown, the 28-year-old charged with murder in the July 27 shooting death of Southport Police Lt. Aaron Allan. But still, more than a month later, Cole said the family has yet to see a police report detailing the incident.

"When you’re wearing a blue uniform, justice comes swift, and it’s very, very, very stern," Cole said. "But when you have black or brown skin, it comes never at all."

Both Dinnsen and Howard joined the department in 2014. Dinnsen is white. Howard is biracial.

Erica Bailey and Brown said they had reached a place where they could forgive the officers if they could just get answers.

"I serve a God that sits high and looks low," Brown said. "And while I’m sitting here, looking at what they did to my brother at the site where it all happened, I can still forgive."

Still, the lack of closure and what they call the lack of action by IMPD and the prosecutor's office hurts.

"I’m very upset, I’m very mad, I’m very hurt," Bailey said, breaking into tears. "I don’t sleep at night like I used to and my life is not the same anymore."

Aaron Bailey's death is the first fatal police shooting of the year. IMPD recorded three fatal police shootings in 2016, eight in 2015 and four in 2014.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Buy Photo

Relatives of Aaron Bailey who was shot by IMPD officers, Kimberly Brown, left, and Erica Bailey, right, give an emotional press conference near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

The family of Aaron Bailey and members of DONT SLEEP look at evidence left behind at the scene of Bailey's shooting, which took place at Burdsal Parkway and Aqueduct Street in Indianapolis, after a press conference by DONT SLEEP on behalf of Bailey's family near the site of his shooting, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Photos of Aaron Baileys's car in police custody provided by the Bailey family and DONT SLEEP on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African-American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash at At Burdsal Parkway and Aqueduct Street in Indianapolis on June 29, 2017.
Provided by the Bailey family and DONT SLEEP

Kimberly Brown, left, Erica Bailey, center, and Founder and President of DON'T SLEEP, Dominic Dorsey speak to the press during a press conference facilitated by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of Aaron Bailey's family near the site of his shooting, Thursday, August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Photos of Aaron Baileys's car in police custody provided by the Bailey family and DONT SLEEP on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African-American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash at Burdsal Parkway and Aqueduct Street in Indianapolis on June 29, 2017.
Provided by the Bailey family and DONT SLEEP

At Burdsal Pkwy. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis, tire tracks, a bullet outlined by paint, and glass are left at the scene where in early hours of June 29, 2017, Aaron Bailey an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle after a short police chase and crash, Thursday August 10, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Tears fall down the cheeks of Erica Bailey, the daughter of Aaron Bailey, during a press conference held by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of Aaron Bailey's family near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

An angel marks the spot at Burdsal Pky. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis where on June 29, 2017, Aaron Bailey, an unarmed African American man was shot and killed by IMPD officers after Bailey drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle after a short chase ending in a crash, Thursday, August 10, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Erica Bailey, the daughter of shooting victim Aaron Bailey looks at the pace where her father was shot and killed by IMPD officers, Burdsal Pky. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis, before a press conference facilitated by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of Aaron Bailey's family, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Founder and President of Don't Sleep, Dominic Dorsey, right, and the family of Aaron Bailey who was shot by IMPD officers, Kimberly Brown, left, and Erica Bailey, center, hold a press conference near the site of his Baileys shooting, Thursday, August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Photos of Aaron Baileys's car in police custody provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP on Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash at At Burdsal Pkwy. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis on June 29, 2017.
Provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP

Attorney for the estate and family of Aaron Bailey, Craig Karpe, left, and Satchuel Cole, vice president of DON'T SLEEP, attend a press conference facilitated by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of the Bailey family near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Photos of Aaron Baileys's car in police custody provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP on Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash at At Burdsal Pkwy. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis on June 29, 2017.
Provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP

Car window glass still lies on the street at Burdsal Pky. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis where on June 29, 2017, Aaron Bailey, an unarmed African American man was shot and killed by IMPD officers after Bailey drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle after a short chase ending in a crash, Thursday, August 10, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Erica Bailey, the daughter of Aaron Bailey who was shot and killed by IMPD officers is comforted during a press conference by Founder and President of Don't Sleep, Dominic Dorsey near the site of Bailey's shooting, Thursday, August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Satchuel Cole, vice president of DON'T SLEEP, left, comforts Kimberly Brown, center, and Erica Bailey, right, the family of Aaron Bailey during a press conference facilitated by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of Bailey's family near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Attorney for the estate and family of Aaron Bailey, Craig Karpe attends a press conference facilitated by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of the Bailey family near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Satchuel Cole, vice president of DON'T SLEEP, left, comforts Kimberly Brown, a relative of Aaron Bailey who was shot by IMPD officers, during a press conference by DON'T SLEEP on behalf of Aaron Bailey's family near the site of his shooting, Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase which ended in a crash on June 29, 2017.
Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar

Photos of Aaron Baileys's car in police custody provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP on Thursday August 10, 2017. Bailey, an unarmed African American man drove away from a traffic stop and was shot four times through the back of his vehicle by IMPD officers after a short chase ending in a crash at At Burdsal Pkwy. an Aqueduct St. in Indianapolis on June 29, 2017.
Provided by the Bailey family and DON'T SLEEP